Can homosexual behaviour be justified in Islam?

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Nasihah (Advice): The evil act of homosexuality

Sayyiduna Jaabir Radhiyallahu Anhu who reported that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam said, “There is nothing I fear more for my Ummah than the deed of the people of Lut (Alayhi salaam).” (Tirmidhi)

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Question and Answer:

Q.I am a student studying medicine, in my faculty I receive arguments and I see evidence on the Biological accounts with regards to gay and lesbian people for example I’ve seen children who I examine with extra amounts of testosterone etc. which causes them to be attracted to the same sex.

I know that this is completely prohibited in Islam and I completely agree but how do I respond to cases as such which produce medical and psychological explanations? What is the exact ruling as to why gays and lesbians are prohibited? How can I respond to other Muslims who argue that some people are born this way (imbalance in their body) causing this attraction?

A. “And Lut, when he said to his people,

‘Do you commit an obscenity

not perpetrated before you

by anyone in all the worlds?

You come with lust to men instead of women.

You are indeed a depraved people.’

The only answer of his people was to say,

‘Expel them from your city!

They are people who keep themselves pure!’

So We rescued him and his family –

except for his wife.

She was one of those who stayed behind.

We rained upon them a rain (of stones).

See the final fate of the evildoers!”

(Quran 7:80-84)

There have always been cases of effeminate men and masculine women throughout history. Such was prevalent even during the time of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. These biological variances do not legalise what Allah Ta’ala has prohibited.

There are many people that are naturally aggressive and many that are naturally passive, many that are prone to violence and many that are naturally submissive. This does not justify the strong taking advantage of the weak or of one person abusing another.

Natural tendencies or inclinations do not justify or legalise divine prohibitions. Man, by nature, is attracted to and lusts over women. This does not legalise rape, fornication or adultery. Women, by nature, are jealous of women who are more attractive or popular than them. This does not justify cattish and malicious behaviour. Similarly, being attracted to the same sex does not legalise homosexual behaviour. Some may say that in the other behaviours there is harm caused to others, but in homosexual behaviour no one is harmed. It is the choice of two consenting persons. This is untrue. There is much harm in homosexual behaviour and that harm affects society as a whole. One of its most disastrous harms is that it effectively disintegrates the natural family system.

We must be conscious of the fact that homosexual and liberal sexual behaviour is aggressively promoted and celebrated by modern media. At the same time, chastity, marriage and family values are disparaged and ridiculed. This has played a major role in the erosion of the family unit and the increasingly high rates of divorce that have currently beset our society.The loss of the values and stability that a good family home provides, with the discipline of the father and the compassion of the mother, coupled with the negative impact of the media has led to such mental issues in society that were previously unheard. Millions of youth now suffer depression. Thousands, if not millions, do not know if they are male or female or something else.

The tragedy of this is that many of these mental issues are now promoted as normality. First we had the LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) movement. It then became LGBT (including transgender). Then it became LGBTQ, then LGBTQI, then LGBTQIAGNC (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and gender-non-conforming) and it still continues. Society is expected to accept all of this as normal and if you do not, then you are homophobic, hateful and unreasonable.

This absurdness is the consequence of embracing perversion as normality. Describing the nature of humankind, Allah Ta’ala states, “And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it; then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety.”(91:7, 8)

Humans have been created with inherent qualities of good and evil. Having evil tendencies is intrinsic within us. Yet, this does not legalise the commission of sin. Allah Ta’ala has given humanity the ability to choose between right and wrong. Human beings have the capacity to transcend the angels by choosing to live righteously and subduing the evil within them or to be more debased than swine by choosing to rebel against the Almighty and embracing sin and depravity. It is this choice that sets humans apart from animals and it is by virtue of this choice that humanity is accountable on the Day of Judgement.

The “born like that” argument which is a common argument used in support of homosexual behaviour is untenable from an Islamic viewpoint. A person’s triumph is not in succumbing to the forbidden desires within them. Rather, it is in conquering those very desires and rising above them.

Allah states in the Qur’an, “But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from evil desires and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode.”(79:40, 41)

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Moosa Salie

(The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.)